SunRail, which started operating in May, is averaging around 4,200 passengers daily, just shy of the 4,300 riders anticipated for its first full year. It only runs during week days, with stops every half-hour during the morning and evening rush hours.

Ridership could rise in coming months as a massive overhaul of Interstate 4 through downtown Orlando begins to take hold. The $2.3 billion project, which features the addition of four toll lanes, is expected to last at least six years.

SunRail, which largely parallels I-4, has 12 stops along a 31.5 mile route from DeBary in Volusia County through downtown Orlando to Sand Lake Road in south Orange County.

The petition was started earlier this week and is sponsored by SunRailRiders.com, a transportation advocacy group headed by David Porter, who runs a public relations and marketing company.

OCALA — Lake County school Superintendent Susan Moxley testified in federal court today that she rejected a gay-straight alliance club at a Leesburg middle school in 2013 because she received a vague application about the club's purpose.